WOODS HOLE — On the ground floor of the Marine Biology Laboratory, His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco bent over a fishy-smelling tank. One of the laboratory’s managers, David Remsen, lifted a small, dripping egg sack from the water and held it up to the flashlight on his cellphone. As the brown pod shone red to reveal the growth inside, the prince cracked a smile.“How’re you doing?” he said to the eggs inside, drawing a laugh from his entourage and from scientists.

It’s not every day royalty comes to Cape Cod. On Monday, Albert traveled here from the city-state on the French Riviera to celebrate the start of a partnership between the laboratory and the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, which he founded in 2006 to focus on international environmental issues — a cause dear to his family. Read more …

Caption: Prince Albert II of Monaco, 2nd from left, visited the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole. Influenced by his grandfather Prince Albert I, who was an avid oceanographer, the prince made a donation to the laboratory. Credit: Erin Clark for The Boston Globe